HP: Fairborn Adventures

July 15th, 1977

"Department of Mysteries." Said the cool female voice within the elevator as its doors opened, revealing an all too familiar long dark corridor.

"This is so nerve wracking." Lily gasped as she stepped out onto the smooth black tiles: "It's my first time in the Ministry and I get to take a look at the most secretive Department there is. How come you guys barely look excited?"

"After over a year of dating him, I finally convinced my boyfriend to stop being a reckless Gryffindor and no longer wear his heart on his sleeve." Marlene chuckled as she followed the redhead.

"What Marlene meant to say- " Harry rolled his eyes: " -is that we want to appear professional and not like some school children, who almost wet themselves at the idea of toying around with complex magic."

"You guys are just boring." The redhead stuck out her tongue at them and continued down the hall with a small bounce in her step: "How was Greece by the way?"

"It was perfect." Harry smiled, giving his girlfriend's hand a soft squeeze as they exchanged a quick glance: "We even got to visit a few of the old temples where the ancient wizards of the Aegean Sea studied the stars and universe."

"That sounds amazing." His mother's bright green eyes sparkled: "I'm so jealous."

"I'm sure Potter has kept you more than busy and entertained while we were gone." Marlene giggled.

"Hush!" Lily chirped, with a small blush on her cheek, and gestured ahead of them: "Not in front of our new boss."

Harry squashed a ripple of anxiety when his eyes found the man waiting for them at the end of the dimly lit corridor, watching their approach like a hawk.

"Ms. Evans, Ms. McKinnon, and Mr. Peverell." He inclined his head to each of them: "Welcome to the British Department of Mysteries."

He opened the large black door for them and gestured for the group to follow him through: "Since I haven't had the opportunity during Professor Slughorn's Yule Party, allow me briefly introduce myself to Ms. Evans. You may call or refer to me as Croaker within this Department and outside of it. I joined the British Unspeakables in 1967 and specialize in the research of all magicks related to time and space. It's one of the sub-departments you will familiarize yourself more intimately with during your internship with us."

"Yes sir." Lily nodded eagerly.

"Very well. Unfortunately, we will have to start with some of the more annoying and time-consuming formalities. For that, we will head to my office. However, before we may enter the actual premises of the Department, several new security measures have to be kept in mind, which will ensure that our work and secret information won't fall into the wrong hands..."

Harry and Marlene exchanged a small glance. He dug through the depths of his mind, trying to remember if any measurement had been in place when he came back in time 18 months ago. However, there was none he could think of.

The group rounded another corner when Harry heard the faint sounds of falling water. A shiver ran down his spine and he caught the small hairs on his arms standing up. There was complex magic in the air. Magic, he distantly encountered once before as if it was in another life.

"What is that?" Marlene frowned suspiciously. Gesturing at the shimmering wall of water that fell from a gap within the ceiling and created a barricade through the entire corridor.

"Our latest addition to the Department's security." Croaker's voice swelled with pride: "The design was heavily inspired by the Goblins who installed a similar device guarding their most secure vaults deep underneath Gringotts." He raised an eyebrow at Harry and Marlene: "Perhaps one of you recognized it already, assuming you have vaults down there?"

"It's the Thief's Downfall." Marlene murmured, blue eyes roaming over the barrier: "It washes away all enchantment, all magical concealment."

"Very good, Ms. McKinnon." Croaker nodded appreciatively: "And it was a very tricky piece of magic to replicate, especially since the goblins refused to share any information on it with us. However, after our smartest heads contemplated the issue for almost an entire year, we finally came up with a design and even added a few of our own enhancements into the mix."

"What exactly will it detect?" Harry was glad that it was Lily who asked the question, allowing him not to draw any suspicion himself.

Still, Harry already had a good idea of why it had been installed. Certainly, it was not a coincidence that this step was taken so soon after the discovery of a certain tattoo on Augustus Rookwood's forearm.

'However, if the wards on the waterfall detected the parselmagic within the Dark Mark- '

"As Ms. McKinnon mentioned already, any disguise or concealment you wear will be quite literally washed away." A small grin played on Croaker's lips. "In addition, it will cancel mind-controlling potions or spells, ranging as powerful as the Imperius. It will also allow us to spot complex foreign magic, heavily intertwined charms, and of course, dangerously cursed objects. I suppose this is the point where I should mention that none of those may be taken into the Department with you."

'My Ring.' The thick gemstone weighed heavily on Harry's finger and by the brief twitch from Marlene, he knew that the Blonde came to the same deduction. Luckily, she wasn't foolish enough to glance down there right now. That was exactly what Croaker would hope for.

'Still, there is no way the waterfall won't spot magic as unique and complex as the Resurrection Stone's.'

"To eliminate any risk, we have calibrated the wards so sensibly that it even recognizes something as mundane as wands." Croaker explained: "If you would therefore allow me to briefly key your wands into it, we may circumvent the issue. It will also be a way for us to identify you; that is, at least Ms. Evans and Ms. McKinnon." The Unspeakable's eyes lingered on Harry for a fraction longer before he held out his hand: "Ms. Evans, if you would be so kind as to begin?"

"Of course, sir." Lily bit her bottom lip and nervously handed over her wand.

Croaker ran his wand over it: "10¼ inches; willow, a unicorn hair acts as the core. That fits the description we've been given by Garrick Ollivander, who sold this wand to you in July 1971." He nodded and brought the tip of Lily's wand to the edge of the waterfall, sticking it inside by perhaps an inch until the spot when it met the water glowed a faint silver.

"That's it, you're keyed in." He handed the wand back to the redhead and held out his hand expectantly to Marlene: "Ms. McKinnon if you please?"

Marlene didn't bat an eye and snatched her brand-new companion from her waist and handed it over.

Croaker repeated the same process, yet this time with an eyebrow raised in surprise: "Ms. McKinnon your wand measures in at 13 inches instead of the 13 and third we have recorded. The wood is still hawthorn; however, the core seems to have changed as well."

"I had some adjustments made." Marlene admitted reluctantly: "And since those adjustments haven't been carried out by Ollivander, you have likely not been informed of them."

"I didn't mean to make any accusation. Of course, you are perfectly allowed to have your wand adjusted once you turn of age and seek professionals outside of Britain for the occasion." Croaker nodded, his eyes lingering on the Granian's hair that wrapped like a band of silver around the wood: "However, I will need you to state the core for me so I can key it into the waterfall."

"Fine." Marlene shrugged, seemingly unbothered, though Harry could tell that she would have rather not admitted the following: "It contains a feather from a Granian. There's also a Granian's hair spun around it, as I'm sure you have noticed already."

"A Granian?" Whereas Lily's eyes beamed up, Croaker remained composed.

He regarded Marlene for a few more seconds before keying her in as well and handing back her wand: "And at last, Mr. Peverell. Since you haven't bought your wand at Ollivander's, I will need you to confirm the materials as well."

"Very well." The cool length of the Elder Wand slipped into his palm before he handed it over, keeping his eyes firmly trained on the Unspeakable: "I can tell you that it's made from Elder and 13 2/3 inches in length. However, since it's a family wand and due to my parent's unfortunate early death, I'm unable to share its core with you."

"How very curious." Croaker murmured, eyes roaming over the pale length of it: "If I had to take a wild guess, I'd suggest dragon heartstring. Even without being an expert on wandlore it sounds like the most plausible combination..."

"Perhaps." Harry inclined his head.

"Worry not, Mr. Peverell." Croaker keyed the Elder Wand into the wards on the waterfall: "All that matters is that it performs well for you."

"I ensure you it does." Harry accepted it back; the tips of his fingers tingled ever so slightly as they curled around the cool wood. Out of the corner of his eyes, he saw the ghost of a knowing smile pass over Marlene's face.

"Well, now that you're all keyed in, we can pass through and head to my office." Croaker nodded.

They began once more with Lily and watched as the redhead bit her bottom lip in determination and stepped through the veil of water, emitting a faint silvery glow as she came in contact with it.

Marlene was next and also experienced no difficulty. Just as with Lily, the magical water didn't actually drench her hair or clothes, leaving her completely dry on the other side.

"Mr. Peverell." A tiny gleam hovered in the depths of Croaker's gray eyes as he gestured for the waterfall.

"I'll see you on the other side, sir." Harry smiled.

Taking a deep breath, he stepped underneath the veil of water. As expected, he wasn't drenched and didn't feel any wetness either. It merely had his skin tingle slightly uncomfortably.

"I'm pretty sure that didn't happen with Marlene." Lily frowned on the other side when he stepped out again, pointing at the water, which glowed a faint red instead of silver.

"Mr. Peverell, do you carry any charmed or cursed items on you?" Croaker stepped through behind him, regarding him suspiciously.

"I think my family's ring might have triggered some of the charms." Harry mused, flashing up the thick golden piece of jewelry: "Undoubtedly my ancestors have put a few spells on it in their time."

"Would you mind if I take a closer look at it, Mr. Peverell?" Croaker inquired cautiously: "I need to make sure it cannot be used as a weapon."

A peal of laughter came from Marlene: "Please, Mr. Croaker..." She stepped next to Harry and calmly placed two fingers on his ring, shrugging when nothing happened: "It's just a Lord's ring, like many others you will see on the fingers of Wizengamot members, who stem from our oldest families. I can assure you that as long as you don't try to forcefully remove it, there is no way it could potentially hurt anyone else."

Croaker seemed contemplated; his suspicious expression shifted between Harry and Marlene. Finally, he shrugged. "Very well, follow me to my office then."

One dimly lit, black-tiled corridor after the other slid past them, as they occasionally encountered other Unspeakables who greeted them enthusiastically. Harry noticed that the main layout of the Department was pretty much the same as it had been in his time, with the exception of Croaker's office not being the one of the Head-Unspeakable yet.

"These are your internship contracts." The man reached into his drawer and handed them for folders with parchments: "By signing them, you also agree not to share whatever projects you work on with anyone outside the Department."

Harry waited for Lily to ask a few questions before hovering his hand over the parchment, trying to get a feel for the kind of magic and intent that was interwoven in it. The paper was practically humming with magic, yet it was far from the complex and multi-layered agreement he had signed back in his time.

'A loyalty charm that will paralyze my tongue and cripple my hand if I were to share any information I learned within the department' Harry closed his eyes and thrilled his magic through the parchment: 'But nothing prohibits me from sharing knowledge with Marlene or vice versa.'

Snatching one of the offered quills, Harry signed at the bottom, shooting the blonde next to him a small nod and indicating that it was fine.

"Great," Croaker smiled: "Well then, you may each keep a copy of your contract. Your compensation is also stated within it, amounting to five Galleons a day."

Whereas Marlene merely raised an eyebrow in curiosity, Lily's green orbs almost bulged out of their sockets. He was not too familiar with his mother's financial situation, but knowing that she grew up in Cokeworth, close to a neighborhood like Spinner's End, his maternal grandparents likely didn't have an abundance of British pounds to convert into Galleons for their youngest daughter. Within the six weeks that Lily would be working here, she would have more than enough Galleons for the remaining school year.

"Well then, if there are no more questions, I suggested we get started for the day." Busts of bright purple burst from Croaker's wand and displayed the current time: "In fact, the colleagues you will be working with within the first two weeks of your internship should be here any moment to pick you- "

Indeed, there was a knock on the door and, following a woman and a man entering shortly after one another. Both wore the long gray cloaks of the Unspeakables over their working robes.

'Two colleagues.' Harry mused, letting his eyes roam over their unfamiliar faces: 'Making the Croaker himself the final instructor, whose work we will shadow.'

"Allow me to introduce my colleagues Mercury and Bishop." Croaker gestured from the woman to the man, both of whom were glancing at the teenagers curiously: "Mercury is our expert on ancient magical scripts, like hieroglyphs, runes, or Sumerian cuneiform. She also speaks over 200 magical and muggle languages, though the majority of them are dead by now."

"Some of them are still useful, Croaker." Mercury, the female unspeakable, winked at them.

"Anyways..." Croaker rolled his eyes with a small smile: "Bishop is renowned for his creativity and inventiveness. He specialized in experimental spell creation and was part of the team that revolutionized how the trace was applied all over Britain roughly 20 years ago."

"I apologize in advance for all the summers away from Hogwarts you spend in boredom, unable to perform magic." The older unspeakable chuckled.

"As for the schedule." Croaker spoke up once more: "We'd like Ms. Evans to spend the first two weeks with Mercury while Mr. Peverell assists Bishop. I will take Ms. McKinnon under my tutelage.

'Of course...' Harry forced himself not to show any traces of the annoyance that spiked through him: 'test how much she knows before approaching me.'

"We're all very excited to get started." Squeezing Marlene's hand under the table briefly, he stood up and walked over to Bishop.

"Come along then." Bishop shot him an enthusiastic nod and led him out of Croaker's office. Harry glanced over his shoulder one last time before the door shut, his eyes taking in Marlene's confident expression and a small triumphant gleam within the depths of Croaker's steel gray orbs.

Lily and Mercury

"So Ms. Evans, I was very impressed with the academic track record I've seen of you so far." Mercury smiled kindly: "Judging by your scores, your favorite subjects might be Charms and Potions?"

"Yes, ma'am," Lily bobbed her head while she followed the older witch down a dark corridor, towards a door all the way in the end: "They caught my interest before I even arrived at the castle and remained the two lessons I look forward to the most."

"What about magical languages?" The Unspeakable inquired: "Any experience with those yet?"

"We've discussed a few of them in Ancient Runes." Lily bit her bottom lip: "But that's pretty much it already."

"Not to worry, my dear." They took a right and continued walking through the endless labyrinth: "Also, don't close the door just yet." She added when Lily followed her over the next threshold.

She frowned and looked around. They were standing in a large, circular room. Everything in here was black including the floor and ceiling — identical, unmarked, handle-less black doors were set at intervals all around the black walls, interspersed with branches of candles whose flames burned blue, their cool, shimmering light reflected in the shining marble floor so that it looked as though there was dark water underfoot.

"Watch me and try to remember the steps. It will make it easier not to get lost." Mercury pulled her wand and pointed it at the opposing door. Then she counted five doors to the right and gave it a flick. A cross materialized in the middle of the door burning a bright green.

"You may close it now."

"Yes, ma'am." Just when she did as told and turned back around to gaze ahead at the doors opposite him, there was a great rumbling noise and the candles began to move sideways.

'The circular wall was rotating.'

Frightened the floor might move too, Lily adjusted her stance, but luckily it did not. For a few seconds, the blue flames around them were blurred to resemble neon lines as the wall sped around.

'It was hard to not lose orientation.'

She easily caught the great greenish blur amongst the faint blue, and when all became still again, the fiery cross still burned, showing the door Mercury had marked. Then, quite as suddenly as it had started, the rumbling stopped, and everything became stationary once again.

"That's rather uncomfortable." Lily's eyes had blue streaks burned into them; it was all she could see.

"But an incredibly effective defense mechanism." Mercury chuckled and led the way: "By the way, have you given any thought to your personal project already?"

"I've had a few ideas already." Lily nodded: "I've found this very old book in the restricted section at Hogwarts. It describes a variety of sorcery that has been used by Celtic druids on this island, long before the Romans arrived and brought wands as we know them with them. Unfortunately, many of the sections have been compiled by different authors and were written in languages I've never read before."

"How fortunate that you've been paired with me then." Mercury chuckled: "Any idea what branch of magic that book dealt with?"

"There've been a few words that I stumbled over so often that I decided to look them up." Lily shared: "The word 'love' has been repeated many times, usually in the same context as either 'sacrifice' or 'protection'. I suppose love as an emotion manifests itself in some kind of protection. But I don't understand how it's meant just yet..."

"How very curious." Mercury hummed: "Perhaps if you recognize the language or style of writing in our resources, you will be able to advance on that front."

"I was allowed to borrow the book over the summer," Lily said, her eyes gleaming with excitement: "It will be interesting to work."

"First, let me introduce you to my current project." Mercury finally came to a halt, opening the door that led into a library of sheer impossible dimensions.

Lily's mouth remained gaping open as she took in rows upon rows of books, stored on shelves that reached all the way up the ceiling.

'The priceless knowledge contained within this room alone was staggering'

"Some muggle archaeologists recently found some scrolls that had been stored in a vessel deep underneath an ancient place of sacrifice in the far north of Scotland on the Orkney Islands." Mercury led her to a table tittered with notes: "We believe that we might be dealing with fragments from a time we know very little about, more precisely from the high priests of Celtic druidic culture."

"How may I help you, ma'am?" Lily's eyes scanned the many yellowed scrolls, which looked like they might crumble to ash any minute.

"First we need to properly conserve this knowledge and make usable copies of their content. Then we can start translating." Mercury took a deep breath and smiled, seemingly excited about the challenge and the amount of work to do: "Let's get to work, Ms. Evans!"

Harry and Bishop

His eyes were fixed on the heels of Bishop and the way the edge of his long cloak shifted elegantly through the dimly lit corridor, from one side to the other. No matter how hard he tried, Harry barely paid attention to the many rooms they were passing on their way. His thoughts remained with Marlene the entire time, as he tried to come up with different scenarios of what might be happening in Croaker's office right now.

He knew she was protected, not just because he had taught her in the mind arts for over a year, but because she was the youngest member of a very prominent family with a brother in the Auror force and a father in the Wizengamot. No matter how tense the circumstances with her family might be, to the wizarding Britain, the McKinnons seemed as united as ever and any attack on them was foolish and guaranteed to fail.

Still, Harry knew that Croaker was as sneaky as they come and would use any means possible to gather information on him through her. Now it was up to Marlene to demonstrate how far she had come in her studies and if her mind matched that of the older Unspeakable.

He was finally shaken from his anxious thoughts when they arrived at their destination.

'Perhaps an interesting distraction will stop me from worrying.'

"This seems like a rather large office?" Harry said as he stepped into a room with high windows to either side. Rain pattered against them, but luckily the glass had only been charmed to visualize the effects, not replicate the sound as well.

'A storm deep underneath London would've been unlikely anyways.'

"You're right of course, the space was not designed for a single Unspeakable but rather a team of two." Bishop walked past a large table with tiny silver devices, similar to those Harry had seen in Dumbledore's office: "Until roughly 18 months ago, I was collaborating with another colleague on most of my projects. However, in the end, he wasn't as adept for the work as an Unspeakable as we would've preferred."

'Augustus Rookwood.'

Harry stiffened the small flare of triumph that bubbled within Slughorn asked for the man at his party, Croaker mentioned that he was currently unavailable. Harry's very first stunt as a time traveler remained to be a significant change.

Now he just needed to give as little suspicion as possible while having free reign over the Unspeakable resources for the entire duration of the summer. But for the first two weeks, the goal was to find out just how deeply involved in Croaker's plan the wizard in front of him was.

Bishop regarded him curiously: "So, Mr. Peverell, tell me a bit about your strength. It will help us work more effectively together when you give me a rough idea of what you already know."

"Of course." Harry nodded: "My strongest branches are charms and transfiguration and by extension Defense. I'm doing well in theoretical subjects like Arithmancy or Runes, but I definitely prefer my wand class."

"Naturally, naturally." Bishop replied: "What about spell crafting? Do you have any experience in it?"

Knowing that it was far too suspicious to continue acting mediocre Harry admitted the following: "I designed a spell that allows the wielder to continue a conversation without anyone eavesdropping. It fills the ears of any bystanders with a faint, undefinable buzzing sound."

"That's quite handy." Bishop nodded appreciatively: "I take it that even more complex arithmetic calculations don't pose an issue to you then?"

"I suppose not." Harry shrugged: "It might just take me a bit longer."

"Well, how about a little test." The Unspeakable pushed a stack of parchment over to him and gestured for the notes. "Take half an hour to go over these and let me know how much of it you understand already. In the meantime, I will continue with a smaller project."

Harry skimmed over them, his flickering over arrays of calculations, complicating matrices and arithmetic modelings. It did not take him long to find the main threat and make the first deduction. He was not holding the formulas for a new spell as he first assumed, but for a ward of sorts. Yet it was unlike any ward he ever encountered.

Two distinct properties caught his eye multiple times. The first one was the fact that the notes were clearly based on the trace, especially the manner in which it affected an entire area and not just a small encounter.

The second conspicuousness was that this ward has some sort of trigger that was not yet clearly defined. As soon as it was triggered, in theory, it was supposed to take down any protective enhancements.

'Impossible.'

Harry frowned when he finally realized what drafts he was looking at. He blinked up to check whether Bishop was still watching him or not, before swallowing heavily.

In his hands, Harry currently held the design for the taboo that Voldemort had introduced while he was hunting Horcruxes with Ron and Hermione.

The first-ever memory Harry had watched in a Pensieve swirled in his mind, the one of Karkaroff's trial:

"Rookwood, who was a spy, and passed He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named useful information from inside the Ministry itself!"

'Useful information indeed.' Harry grimaced. Augustus Rookwood had collaborated on the design of taboo. It was unlikely that it had been completed by the time the Death Eater was finally caught, shortly after the Death of Harry's parents. Far more likely was that Lucius Malfoy's mission into the depths of the Department of Mysteries served another purpose besides handing Voldemort the Prophecy.

'But not this time around.' Harry vowed, fingernails digging into the parchment on the table.

"And, what do you think, Mr. Peverell?" Bishop intercepted his thoughts.

"It's more complex than anything I have encountered before." Harry admitted: "However I figured it's the design of a new ward based on the Trace. Still, I don't quite understand how it's supposed to work yet."

"I'd be very surprised if you did fully comprehend it already." Bishop smiled proudly: "This is practically my legacy. The project my partner and I dedicated almost two decades of our lives two."

"Are you close to finishing it now?" Harry inquired: "Even without your colleague's help?"

"I'm afraid I can't say." Bishop sighed: "It will certainly take much longer now, nevertheless, the foundation has been pretty much finished."

"How exactly do you envision it to work?"

"Once completed, this spell will revolutionize the ways our Aurors may approach a hostage situation for example." The Unspeakable's eyes beamed up: "It causes a magical disruption, very similar to recent development in the muggle world. They call it an EMP, an e-"

"Electromagnetic pulse." Harry finished for him. His thoughts were racing as he finally understood the origins and the way this weapon was supposed to work: "So it causes some sort of disturbance?" Harry asked carefully: "How may that help the Aurors?"

"When cast correctly, the disturbance is strong enough to temporarily weaken or even take down magical protections in an area."

"But wouldn't the impulse have to come from within the protections anyway?" Harry tried to carefully squeeze even more information out of him: "Wouldn't one have to penetrate the defenses just to plant such a ward."

"Not quite, Because this is where the most important part comes in, Mr. Peverell." Bishop shifted on his seat in excitement: "The ward is active once it is cast over whatever area the hostages are being held captive in. However, it will only trigger the disruption once a certain word has been spoken from within the confinement."

"Could it be any word possible?"

"Yes, of course!" Bishop was close to cheering by now: "That's what makes it so fantastic, doesn't it?! It could be the name of the group's leader, who our Aurors are looking for, but it could also be something as mundane as the word 'wand'. Whatever the word might be, once it's spoken within the confinements, all active wards and defenses should suffer a disturbance strong enough to fail."

"How large of an area could this spell be cast upon?" Harry asked.

"That will fully depend on the witch or wizarding casting it." The Unspeakable nodded: "The origin of its design lay in the Trace, which as we know, captures the entire British isles. I could imagine that an individual with sufficient power, say someone like Albus Dumbledore, may be able to perform a similar feat with this ward, yet it will surely drain his core for the following days."

"You created a manipulatable disturbance that will take down defensive charms anywhere in all of Britain when a mere word is spoken." Despite knowing how much damage said invention had caused in the future, Harry forced his face into a mask of excitement matching that of Bishop.

He knew how much suffering this knowledge could cause were it to fall into the wrong hands once more.

'But perhaps this is my chance.'

During the last war, this weapon had been at Voldemort's disposal and deployed ruthlessly. Perhaps this time, he could beat the Dark Lord at his own game.

'But first Croaker cannot gain anything useful from Marlene. Otherwise, there was a good chance I'm not leaving this department.'